Austin news

• Some Hummus sold in Texas recalled due to Listeria concerns

  22-06-2017 23:33 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — A Tennessee company is voluntarily recalling their hummus product due to potential Listeria contamination.
  House of Thaller is recalling its 10 ounce packages of Hummus with Pine Nut Topping, because an ingredient used in the hummus possibly has Listeria. The products in question were distributed nationwide through various grocery retailers from April 18, 2017 to June 13, 2017, and in Canada on April 20, 2017.
  The products come in 10 ounce, clear, round plastic cups wi
  
  Read more

• Parents fight for access to U.S. for 3-year-old son’s critical surgery

  22-06-2017 23:21 via kxan.com
  
  BROWNSVILLE, Texas (KVEO) — As he and his dad walk into his room, 3-year-old Noe Martinez is eager for his father to open the door.
  Once dad opens the door, Noe storms inside ready to play with his toys. With a big smile on his face, Noe is waiting for his dad to start tossing every single ball he has in one basket. His dad goes over to the basket, picks it up and pours it out. With his eyes opened wide and a big smile on his face, Noe enjoys trying to catch every single one of those balls
  
  Read more

• Manor judge orders puppy found in hot car back to its owner

  22-06-2017 23:16 via kxan.com
  
  MANOR, Texas (KXAN) — A puppy that had to be rescued from a hot car parked at Manor’s Walmart last weekend is being returned back to its owner.
  During a hearing on Thursday, a Manor Municipal Court judge determined 20-year-old Chandler Bullen could have 8-week-old Annabelle back, even though he is still facing an animal cruelty charge.
  The Manor Police Department says it is extremely saddened and disappointed with the court’s ruling but they hope she lives a happy and
  
  Read more

• Third suspect in rape of 4 women in Austin apartment arrested in Corpus Christi

  22-06-2017 22:44 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — A suspect on the run after the alleged rape of four women in a southeast Austin apartment last week has been caught in Corpus Christi, Austin police say.
  Emmanuel Grear, 20, was described as being very mobile after the incident, evading arrest by police as they searched for him after the alleged rape, robbery and kidnappings in the early morning hours of Friday, June 16.
  Chief of Police Brian Manley said the five women involved, who first had contact with Grear at a gas sta
  
  Read more

• Advertisement

• Austin has a new guide for building future roads

  22-06-2017 22:37 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — Austin’s growth in recent years is making the city of Austin take a look at the ways it can adapt to future development. The city has updated their Street Design Guide for the first time in about a decade. The updated guide will work with the city’s new Austin Strategic Mobility Plan.
  The purpose of the Austin Street Design Guide is to help engineers apply the same approach when designing new streets or modifying current roads, as the city continues to
  
  Read more

• Man accused of burning down Victoria mosque indicted for hate crime

  22-06-2017 22:09 via kxan.com
  
  VICTORIA, Texas (AP) — A man has been indicted on a hate crime charge for a January fire that destroyed a Texas mosque.
  A grand jury Thursday indicted Marq Vincent Perez, who federal prosecutors say started a Jan. 28 fire that destroyed the Islamic center in his hometown of Victoria, located 125 miles southwest of Houston.
  Perez faces three counts: hate crime-damage to a religious property, use of a fire to commit a federal felony and possession of an unregistered destructive device.
  Durin
  
  Read more

• Third boy linked to murder of New Braunfels teenager

  22-06-2017 21:42 via kxan.com
  
  NEW BRAUNFELS, Texas (KXAN) — A third juvenile has been arrested in connection with the shooting death of 17-year-old Conrad Kuntz in New Braunfels.
  The third suspect, a 16-year-old male, was arrested on Wednesday and charged with robbery. Investigators say on June 17, Kuntz met the three suspects at around 10 p.m. on Lahn Road. During the course of the exchange, one of the 16-year-olds tried to rob Kuntz, which led to a physical altercation.
  During the fight, police say a 15-year-old male
  
  Read more

• Murder-suicide suspected in death of man, woman in east Austin home

  22-06-2017 21:41 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — The bodies of a man and woman found in an east Austin house are being investigated as a murder-suicide by the Austin Police Department.
  At around 11:39 p.m. on Tuesday, officers were called for an “urgent check welfare call” on Cordell Lane, near the intersection of Manor Road and East 51st Street.
  A 911 caller told police that someone inside the home was in danger. Officers tried to make contact with the people inside the house but didn’t get an answ
  
  Read more

• Advertisement

• Girlfriend says ‘toxic relationship’ led to suspected east Austin murder-suicide

  22-06-2017 21:41 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — The bodies of a man and woman found in an east Austin house are being investigated as a murder-suicide by the Austin Police Department.
  At around 11:39 p.m. on Tuesday, officers were called for an “urgent check welfare call” on Cordell Lane, near the intersection of Manor Road and East 51st Street.
  A 911 caller told police that someone inside the home was in danger. Officers tried to make contact with the people inside the house but didn’t get an answ
  
  Read more

• WATCH: Possible tornado damage near Birmingham, Alabama

  22-06-2017 20:27 via kxan.com
  
  JEFFERSON COUNTY, Ala. (KXAN/AP) — As the onetime Tropical Storm Cindy moves through the Southeast, Tornado Warnings are being issued for various areas.
  Two tornado warnings have been issued by the National Weather Service in Alabama, where Gov. Kay Ivey says the threat of severe weather hasn’t let up as remnants of a tropical storm push inland.
  One of the warnings was issued around 1 p.m. CDT Thursday in Jefferson County near Birmingham. The other was for Tuscaloosa and Bibb Counti
  
  Read more

• Manor ISD hosts community-wide engagement conference

  22-06-2017 19:40 via kxan.com
  
  MANOR, Texas (KXAN) — Families across Central Texas are encouraged to participate in the Manor Independent School District’s first ever Family Engagement Conference this weekend.
  The district is hosting the event to help the community remain engaged in its schools and to build relationships with educators. The two-day event starting June 23 is open to parents, students and teachers from 8 a.m.until 8 p.m. at Decker Middle School, 8104 Decker Ln. in Austin.
  “Family engagement is
  
  Read more

• Trump says he didn’t tape his conversations with Comey

  22-06-2017 19:26 via kxan.com
  
  WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump says he “did not make” and doesn’t have any recordings of his private conversations with James Comey — his fired FBI director.
  Trump also tweets that he has “no idea” whether other “tapes” or recordings exist.
  Trump has disputed Comey’s assertion that Trump asked Comey for a pledge of loyalty during a dinner meeting they had.
  When news of Comey’s account broke, Trump tweeted that Comey &ldq
  
  Read more

• WATCH: Law enforcement impersonator caught on camera

  22-06-2017 19:00 via kxan.com
  
  PASCO COUNTY, Fla. (WFLA) –  Pasco sheriff’s investigators arrested a man after a video showed him pretending to be a police officer and yelling at a motorist.
  The man, identified as John Dawson, is seen in the video exiting his vehicle and approaching the victim, while wearing what appears to be a badge.
  Johnathan Herold was behind the wheel of the other vehicle when Dawson approached.
  Herold’s 15-year-old son was in the car recording the encounter on his cell phone.
  Daws
  
  Read more

• Trump: Immigrants should not get welfare for at least five years

  22-06-2017 18:42 via kxan.com
  
  CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa (AP) — President Donald Trump said Wednesday he’ll pursue legislation that would bar immigrants from being eligible for welfare for at least five years — though most already are.
  Trump said at a rally in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, that “the time has come” for “new immigration rules” that would require those seeking admission to the country to be able to support themselves financially and would bar the use of welfare for a period of at least f
  
  Read more

• Austin tackles graffiti backlog, looks to increased fines

  22-06-2017 18:01 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — The nature of tagging is when you remove it and paint it over, a new tag inevitably takes its place. For the city of Austin, it has been a daunting task to keep up with graffiti removal, especially with a shrinking staff.
  By the end of 2016, the city had more than 600 service requests for graffiti removal. In a recent memo from the interim assistant city manager, the city says it is actually addressing the backlog of graffiti and they should be caught up by September.
  
  Read more

• Senate GOP unveils ‘Obamacare’ overhaul, but not all aboard

  22-06-2017 16:50 via kxan.com
  
  WASHINGTON (AP) — Senate Republicans launched their plan for shriveling Barack Obama’s health care law Thursday, edging a step closer to their dream of repeal with a bill that would slice and reshape Medicaid for the poor, relax rules on insurers and end tax increases on higher earners that have helped finance expanded coverage for millions.
  Four conservative GOP senators quickly announced initial opposition to the measure and others were evasive, raising the specter of a jarring rej
  
  Read more

• Senate GOP releases ‘Obamacare’ overhaul, but not all aboard

  22-06-2017 16:50 via kxan.com
  
  WASHINGTON (AP) — Senate Republicans released their long-awaited bill Thursday to dismantle much of Barack Obama’s health care law, proposing to cut Medicaid and erase tax boosts that helped Obama finance his expansion of coverage. The measure encountered immediate trouble as four GOP senators said they opposed it but were open to negotiations.
  The bill would provide less-generous tax credits to help people buy insurance and let states get waivers to ignore some coverage standards th
  
  Read more

• AP sources: Senate GOP health bill would reshape Obama law

  22-06-2017 16:50 via kxan.com
  
  WASHINGTON (AP) — Senate Republicans would cut Medicaid, end penalties for people not buying insurance and erase a raft of tax increases as part of their long-awaited plan to scuttle President Barack Obama’s health care law, congressional aides and lobbyists say.
  After weeks of closed-door meetings that angered Democrats and some Republicans, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell planned to release the proposal Thursday. The package represents McConnell’s attempt to quell crit
  
  Read more

• Elgin PD: ‘No justification’ for running light that has been red 24 seconds

  22-06-2017 16:19 via kxan.com
  
  ELGIN, Texas (KXAN) — A social media post by the Elgin Police Department with some harsh words meant to bring attention to a big and potentially dangerous issue is going viral.
  “There is absolutely no justification for running a light that has been red for 24 seconds,” the post made Tuesday evening says. In a video posted from a red light camera along US Highway 290 through the city, a driver can be seen speeding through a light that clearly has been red for some time. The driv
  
  Read more

• Prince Harry: No one in royal family wants to rise to throne

  22-06-2017 15:34 via kxan.com
  
  LONDON (AP) — Britain’s Prince Harry has suggested that no one in the royal family really wishes to rise to the throne — and that it is duty, rather than desire, that prompts them to continue serving the British people.
  In an interview with Newsweek magazine, Harry said the House of Windsor is “not doing this for ourselves but for the greater good of the people.” He also spoke openly about his distress at having to walk behind his mother’s coffin as a 12-year-
  
  Read more

• Tropical Storm Cindy comes ashore in southwest Louisiana

  22-06-2017 14:57 via kxan.com
  
  NEW ORLEANS (AP) — Gulf Coast states were in for a third day of rough weather as Tropical Storm Cindy sloshed ashore early Thursday in southwestern Louisiana.
  Already blamed for one death in Alabama, Cindy was expected to keep churning seas and spin off bands of severe weather from eastern Texas to northwestern Florida.
  The storm’s maximum sustained winds had decreased to near 40 mph (64 kph) Thursday morning with additional weakening expected, the U.S. National Hurricane Center said
  
  Read more

• Suspected tornado: 1 hurt, businesses flattened in Alabama

  22-06-2017 14:57 via kxan.com
  
  NEW ORLEANS (AP) — A suspected tornado near Birmingham, Alabama, flattened businesses and injured one person Thursday, while the mayor of a coastal Louisiana town urged residents to evacuate ahead of a rising tide — two lingering effects of a weakening Tropical Depression Cindy that was fueling harsh weather across the Southeast.
  A liquor store and a fast-food restaurant were among the damaged businesses in Fairfield, Alabama, west of Birmingham, said meteorologist Jason Holmes of th
  
  Read more

• Cindy weakens but still stirs weather over wide swath

  22-06-2017 14:57 via kxan.com
  
  NEW ORLEANS (AP) — A suspected tornado near Birmingham, Alabama, flattened businesses and injured one person Thursday, while the mayor of a coastal Louisiana town urged residents to evacuate ahead of a rising tide — two lingering effects of a weakening Tropical Depression Cindy that was fueling harsh weather across the Southeast.
  The walls of a liquor store and an oil-change service in Fairfield, west of Birmingham, collapsed in the apparent twister. A fast-food restaurant also was a
  
  Read more

• Study links legalized pot with increase in car crash claims

  22-06-2017 14:41 via kxan.com
  
  DENVER (AP) — A recent insurance study links increased car crash claims to legalized recreational marijuana.
  The Highway Loss Data Institute, a leading insurance research group, said in study results released Thursday that collision claims in Colorado, Washington, and Oregon went up 2.7 percent in the years since legal recreational marijuana sales began when compared with surrounding states. Legal recreational pot sales in Colorado began in January 2014, followed six months later in Washin
  
  Read more

• Ex-Texas nurse accused of killing dozens charged with murder, again

  22-06-2017 14:38 via kxan.com
  
  SAN ANTONIO (AP) — A former Texas nurse who prosecutors say may be responsible for the deaths of up to 60 young children has been indicted on a murder charge for the second time in recent weeks.
  Prosecutors in San Antonio said in a statement that 66-year-old Genene Jones was indicted Wednesday in the 1981 death of 2-year-old Rosemary Vega.
  More details: Ex-Texas nurse accused of killing dozens of kids in 1980s
  She was charged with a separate count of murder last month in the death of an 11
  
  Read more

• Ex-Texas nurse accused of killing dozens charged with murder

  22-06-2017 14:38 via kxan.com
  
  SAN ANTONIO (AP) — A former Texas nurse who prosecutors say may be responsible for the deaths of up to 60 young children has been indicted on a murder charge for the second time in recent weeks.
  Prosecutors in San Antonio said in a statement that 66-year-old Genene Jones was indicted Wednesday in the 1981 death of 2-year-old Rosemary Vega.
  She was charged with a separate count of murder last month in the death of an 11-month-old boy.
  Jones is serving a lengthy prison sentence for the 1982
  
  Read more

• WATCH: Motorcyclist plows through healthcare protesters

  22-06-2017 14:20 via kxan.com
  
  SAN FRANCISCO, California (NBC News) — A dangerous motorcycle stunt in the middle of a San Francisco healthcare protest was caught on camera.
  It happened Wednesday when a man on a motorcycle rode into a crowd of people protesting republican efforts to change federal healthcare.
  Protesters were lying on the ground staging a ‘Die-in’ when the cyclist came through the crowd.
  Fortunately, he didn’t hit anyone during the stunt.
  The man was riding the wrong direction down a one
  
  Read more

• ‘World’s Largest Swimming Lesson’ could save lives

  22-06-2017 13:32 via kxan.com
  
  TEXAS (KXAN) — The warm summer weather in Central Texas means many families will be heading to nearby pools to cool off. Swimming is more than just something fun to do — It’s a skill that could save your life.
  Thursday marks the eighth annual event for The World’s Largest Swimming Lesson. It was created to serve as a platform to help local community aquatic facilities get the word out about the importance of swimming skills.
  The global event will take place in 600 lo
  
  Read more

• E-cigs on the plan for Austin’s city council Thursday

  22-06-2017 12:51 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — It’s the Austin city council members’ last meeting before they break for summer and return the first week of August.
  Veterans Resource CenterThis resolution directs the city manager to draft a business plan related to establishing a Veterans Resource Center. Back in 2013, city council created the Veterans Affairs Commission to recommend solutions for the difficulties veterans face in obtaining housing, employment, education, training, mental health assistance an
  
  Read more

• E-cig ban, car-free day on Congress Ave. are on Austin’s city council list

  22-06-2017 12:51 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — It’s the Austin city council members’ last meeting before they break for summer and return the first week of August.
  Electronic Smoking Devices – APPROVEDThis ordinance amends the current city code to include electronic smoking devices. The city wants to ban it everywhere cigarettes are currently prohibited, such as parks, city buildings and restaurants. The ordinance goes into effect on Monday, July 3.
  Creating a car-free day on Congress AvenueBike Austin
  
  Read more

• Pflugerville High School in the finals for ‘Nicest Place in America’

  22-06-2017 12:16 via kxan.com
  
  PFLUGERVILLE, Texas (KXAN) — Pflugerville High School has been named one of the top ten Nicest Places in America according to Reader’s Digest.
  The school was nominated because of its supportive and welcoming environment.
  Online voting began Thursday to pick the winner. According to the magazine’s website, the voting ends on July 7.
  The others include:
  The Doak’s House in Waterford, OHOriole Park in Baltimore, MDRock Hall, MDKids Cycle: NS in Shorewood, WIProvidence, RIGal
  
  Read more

• Central Texas high school in the finals for ‘Nicest Place in America’

  22-06-2017 12:16 via kxan.com
  
  PFLUGERVILLE, Texas (KXAN) — Pflugerville High School has been named one of the top ten Nicest Places in America according to Reader’s Digest.
  The school was nominated because of its supportive and welcoming environment.Online voting began Thursday to pick the winner. According to the magazine’s website, the voting ends on July 7.
  The others include:
  The Doak’s House in Waterford, OHOriole Park in Baltimore, MDRock Hall, MDKids Cycle: NS in Shorewood, WIProvidence, RIGall
  
  Read more

• Tropical storm Cindy approaches Texas, aid groups ‘prepare for the worst’

  22-06-2017 05:57 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (NEXSTAR) — Tropical Storm Cindy is expected to make landfall along the coast between Texas and Louisiana Thursday morning and so far, states of emergency have been declared in both Louisiana and Alabama.
  As Cindy rips through the Gulf of Mexico, headed toward the Texas coast, the state’s disaster relief fund is dry.
  As of August 2016, Gov. Greg Abbott’s office had already committed nearly all of the $14.8 million the state set aside for disasters in 2016-17.
  If TS Cindy
  
  Read more

• Dallas boy, 12, drowns in Tampa hotel pool, sister dies at hospital

  22-06-2017 05:51 via kxan.com
  
  TAMPA, Fla. (WFLA) — A Texas family’s trip to Tampa took a tragic turn when a 12-year-old boy drowned in a hotel pool and his sister later died at Tampa General Hospital.
  Deputies with the Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office responded to a call about a possible double drowning at 3:19 p.m. on Sunday.
  When deputies arrived at the Clarion Inn Hotel on Adamo East, they found Sebastano Greco, age 12, and his sister, Kesha Greco, age 17, unresponsive in the pool.
  Deputies and firef
  
  Read more

• Woman who hid gun in her vagina gets probation in drug case

  22-06-2017 05:47 via kxan.com
  
  WACO, Texas (AP) — A Texas woman who police said packed a loaded pistol in her vagina has been sentenced to probation after she pleaded guilty to drug possession.
  Ashley Cecilia Castaneda has been sentenced to 10 years on deferred probation for methamphetamine possession. The 33-year-old Waco woman also was fined $2,500.
  Waco police say that when Castaneda was arrested in 2015, she told officers on her way to McLennan County Jail that she was packing a loaded handgun in her birth canal. Po
  
  Read more

• Austin City Council forgoes homestead exemption increase

  22-06-2017 05:29 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — City Council Member Ellen Troxclair calls it an important affordability tool the city has chosen not to use, forgoing an opportunity to increase the homestead exemption this year.
  Here’s how the exemption works. It’s the amount of your home’s assessed value exempt from property taxes. Last June, Austin increased it from 6 to 8 percent. If you had a $400,000 home, Austin’s now record-high average home price, you subtract 6 percent and pay ta
  
  Read more

• Officer suspended for failing to find gun on suspect who killed himself

  22-06-2017 04:28 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — An Austin police officer who failed to find a loaded gun on a shoplifting suspect he arrested, who then ended up using the gun to commit suicide while handcuffed in a patrol car, has been suspended.
  Officer Iven Wall, a 10-year veteran with the Austin Police Department, has been suspended for 20 days, according to 19-year-old Zachary Anam’s family.
  Anam’s parents, Sayeed and Cara, say they are severely disappointed with the “minimal discipline” impos
  
  Read more

• Austin police officer and wife arrested in alleged social security fraud scheme

  22-06-2017 03:37 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — Roosevelt Granderson II, an Austin police officer, was arrested early Wednesday morning at Austin-Bergstrom International Airport on charges connected to a scheme to collect more than $258,000 in benefits that he, his wife and mother-in-law were not entitled to, a grand jury indictment alleges.
  In a statement, the Austin Police Department says they were aware of the investigation and helped when requested, including the arrest of the officer.
  Officer Granderson was placed o
  
  Read more

• Boy sucked underwater at Georgetown Blue Hole meets rescuers

  22-06-2017 03:28 via kxan.com
  
  GEORGETOWN, Texas (KXAN) — Benny Crowe almost died when he was sucked into a drain hole removed by vandals in Georgetown’s Blue Hole, pinning him underwater for nearly three minutes.
  Liz Crowe and her 9-year-old son Benny met with the rescuers at an event Thursday morning. Shene Robison and Melissa Ochoa rushed to pull him to safety. “Some women came over and started to help me pull him, we still couldn’t get him out, Benny was turning blue and passed out. I jumped o
  
  Read more

• Boerne man breaks up with ABC News in the best way possible

  22-06-2017 01:54 via kxan.com
  
  BOERNE, Texas (KXAN) — A Boerne man who took out a billboard to break up with ABC News over its recent news coverage is gaining a lot of traction.
  Kyle Courtney, owner of Wellstar Groundwater Technologies, rented the billboard on Interstate 10 and Buckskin Drive — which is just northwest of San Antonio — to voice his disdain with the network’s coverage of Donald Trump and Russia’s possible involvement in the election.
  The sign reads:
  ABC NEWS:I grew up with you. We
  
  Read more

• Dawnna Dukes, Schwertner make Texas Monthly’s worst legislators list

  22-06-2017 01:07 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — Texas Monthly has released their bi-annual ranking of the best and worst legislators in the state. Two local state legislators made the worst list, with no area representatives making the best list.
  The list ranks members not on how many bills they passed, but on how well they served their constituents.
  The “best” list consisted of names including State Rep. Byron Cook, R-Corsicana, a moderate Republican and State Rep. Matt Schaefer, R-Tyler, who chairs the Texa
  
  Read more

• San Francisco to ban sales of vaping flavored liquid

  22-06-2017 01:05 via kxan.com
  
  SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — San Francisco city supervisors unanimously approved a measure that bans the sale of flavored nicotine-laced liquid used in electronic cigarettes and flavored tobacco products — with city supervisors saying nicotine masked in cotton candy, banana cream, mint and other flavors entices kids into a lifetime of addiction.
  Other cities have passed laws reducing access to flavored vaping liquids and flavored tobacco but San Francisco is the first in the country to appro
  
  Read more

• F-16 jet catches fire, crashes during takeoff in Houston

  22-06-2017 01:04 via kxan.com
  
  HOUSTON (AP) — Officials say a pilot ejected from an F-16 fighter jet that caught fire and crashed during takeoff from Ellington Airport in Houston while on a training flight.
  Authorities say the pilot was treated for minor injuries following the crash around 10:30 a.m. Wednesday. The cause of the fiery accident is under investigation. The pilot’s name wasn’t immediately released.
  A statement from the North American Aerospace Defense Command says the plane was from a detachment
  
  Read more

• Man found guilty in hit-and-run crash that killed former UT track athlete

  22-06-2017 00:27 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — Joseph Cantu has been found guilty of failure to stop and render aid in a 2014 hit-and-run crash that ended the life of a former University of Texas track athlete.
  Cantu, who was 34 years old at the time of the March 2, 2014 crash on North MoPac Expressway, turned himself in to police a week after the crash.
  Court documents showed Cantu admitted to hitting Philip Wood, 23, as he was walking across the freeway at around 2 a.m. Parts of Cantu’s Chevrolet Malibu wer
  
  Read more

Follow @Austin_News_US on Twitter!